Andreas Xanthos

SYRIZA MP Pavlos Polakis criticized his former leader Alexis Tsipras over some of the remarks he made at a Kathimerini-sponsored conference Saturday.

In his remarks at the conference, Tsipras said that his government's management of the Novartis case (regarding allegations of bribery involving politicians and doctors) and the issuing of television licenses "was unfortunate."

A battle royal has broken out between the government and main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras over the charges of the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers, Michalis Giannakos, that some hospital beds have been set aside for VIPs, even as other intubated COVID-19 patients are being treated outside ICUs, waiting their turn on the prioritised waiting lists.

A key witness in the inquiry regarding an alleged bribery scandal involving Novartis yesterday claimed to have met with top officials of leftist SYRIZA before the party came to power in 2015 during his second deposition before the parliamentary committee probing possible political interference in the investigation.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called on lawmakers to support the government in a confidence debate on Wednesday, saying this would maintain and strengthen the country's path towards economic growth.

The union of Greek hospital workers, POEDIN, has bemoaned another spike in violence against hospital staff by patients or their relatives and called on Health Minister Andreas Xanthos to take action to address the issue.

Still smarting after a row over derogatory comments made by one of his ministers about a disabled political rival, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is keen to change the political narrative with a visit to China this weekend and the anticipated announcement of handouts after Orthodox Easter.

The disparaging comments made by Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis about a conservative candidate in next month's European elections continued to make waves on Wednesday within the government, not least within his own ministry.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras tried to justify the controversial statements by Pavlos Polakis about a wheelchair-bound New Democracy MEP candidate by depicting his alternate health minister as an "abrupt" Cretan whose behavior should be put up with.

With just a month remaining before the European and local elections, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' perceived backing of Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis after his controversial remarks about a conservative MEP candidate who uses a wheelchair has laid the groundwork for a fierce head-on collision between ruling SYRIZA and opposition New Democracy after the Easter holidays.

There will be thousands of hirings in the National Health System (ESY) over the next four years, according to Administrative Reform Minister Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Health Minister Andreas Xanthos and his deputy Pavlos Polakis after a meeting on Monday morning.